Pen Fairchild

Pen Fairchild

Pen Fairchild's family read fairy tales to her from the beginning. She acquired the habit of reading on her own when she was so small she could barely hold the book, and read what was on her parents' and grandparents' shelves. She quickly devoured the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Kenneth Grahame, Enid Blyton, and other popular children's works and authors and continued without stopping to more adult fare. In short order, her favorite fiction writers became Somerset Maugham, Agatha Christie, P.G. Wodehouse, and Evelyn Waugh. Her favorite nonfiction topic was
...See more >
archaeology, especially books about Schliemann's discoveries and anything about Atlantis. Then she discovered her grandmother's treasure trove of Georgette Heyer Regency romances. She still enjoys those authors, as well as many others including Julian Barnes, Robert Barnard, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and J.K. Rowling.

"Truth is," she says, "I owe a debt to those writers I can never repay. The worlds that they created were as real to me as my own, and I not only lost but found myself in them."

It was a short step from loving to read to writing, but it wasn't what Fairchild thought she'd do as an adult. Rather, as a child, she dreamed of being an astronaut or a detective. Somehow, though, the appeal of the writing process prevailed. Now, her goal is to create something that other readers will enjoy exploring as much as she's enjoyed the worlds created by her favorite authors.

Fairchild's interest in Utopia originated in philosophical debates with university classmates. Who decides what makes a system Utopian? Is one person's Utopia another's Dystopia? Also, what happens when young people who've been brought up to believe that they are the inheritors of the only true Utopia are forced to cope with a very different reality? The idea of a distant world colonized centuries before by wealthy power players from Earth took shape quickly, as did the concept of "the last domain" led by a highly privileged elite with enough savvy to placate in all ways possible those whom they ruled. The Royal Progress Series begins when the next generation of rulers is trapped by the fallout when this seemingly stable system implodes and they are forced to flee into the dreaded Outlands.

"I thought of the Royal Progress Series as 'Clueless' meets 'Game of Thrones'," Fairchild admits. "Spoiled young adults forced to fend for their lives in a decidedly non-Utopian situation."

When a princess suddenly inherits
her family’s domain, she learns there’s more to her ascendancy than meets the
eye.

Bettina “Bettie,” princess of the
Domain of Hautland, has spent her life in the shadow of her older brother,
Asher, the domain’s heir. They enjoy an affectionate, if antagonistic,
relationship under the close watch of their father, Wotan (the ruling Buckstop),
and stepmother, the Stoptress Allegra. The siblings spend their days at the
Royal Academy with a close group of friends, including Hughlan, Willtom, aka
W.T., and Mattey, where they prepare for the Royal Progress, a symbolic
excursion into the Outlands in which the domain’s best students demonstrate
their leadership skills. Bettie and Ash’s roles in the domain are secure until
the day Ash decides to play a prank on Bettie during an archery drill—an act
that leads to his death, suddenly making Bettie the domain’s sole heir. Despite
his reservations, Wotan decides to send her on the Royal Progress to prove
she’s as capable a leader as her brother would have been. What begins as a
purely ceremonial exercise quickly turns into race against time as a rebellion
breaks out in Hautland, threatening the safety of the Buckstop and the domain.
Fairchild, in her debut, succeeds at creating a memorable heroine and placing
her in a vivid futuristic landscape replete with secrets and potential danger.
Bettie grows into a confident leader over the course of the Royal Progress, an
evolution Fairchild captures through a series of challenges, both physical and
personal. Memorable supporting characters include Hughlan, Bettie’s longtime
unrequited love whose intentions may not always be honorable, and Auban,
Bettie’s former classmate who left school under mysterious circumstances.
Fairchild skillfully brings the futuristic setting to life through a complex
back story that never slows the narrative. For all its successes, however, the
story’s graphic sexual content may not be appropriate for younger readers and
likewise might alienate some adult readers.

Epic in scope, boasting a vast cast
and intricate mythology; the sexual nature might be too much for its intended
audience, though.

ADDITIONAL WORKS AVAILABLE:

BEFORE THE ROYAL PROGRESS: PREQUEL TO ROYAL PROGRESS SERIES

Epic fantasy, dystopian

729 years from now, in the "perfect" domain of Hautland, the 26-year-old Backstop still mourns the death of his wife in childbirth. When his mother presents him with the smart, beautiful, sympathetic Allegra as candidate for his second queen and stepmother to his two children, the way she makes him feel is the answer to a dream. What he doesn't know is that it's the beginning of a nightmare. This 3,900-word narrative is the prequel to the Royal Progress Series.

740 years from now...
In Hautland, the designed-to-be-perfect domain, the last domain, beautiful, strong-willed Stoptress Allegra is planning the perfect holiday celebration for her stepchildren Prince Asher and Princess Bettina. Of course, even the best-laid plans can go wrong. This second prequel to Royal Progress Series is approximately 8,000 words long.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.